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(No Model.)

W. H. JOHNSON. SUSPBNDER BUCKLE.

, No. 597,240, Patented Jan. 11,1898.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

IVILLIAM H. JOHNSON, OF SHIRLEY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE O. A. EDGARTON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SUSPENDER-BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 597,240, dated January 1 1, 1898.

Application tiled June 11, V11.897. Serial'No. 640,318. (No model.)

To @Z5 whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. JOHNSON, of Shirley, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Suspender-Buckles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to lever-buckles used upon Suspenders to lengthen and shorten the same, the buckle comprising a back-plate and a lever pivotally connected to the backplate and having a jaw adapted to cooperate with the back-plate in grasping and releasing a strip of webbing, the lever being caused to grasp the strip when turned downwardly and to release the strip when turned upwardly. Heretofore the lever has usually been of rigid construction and has been extended downwardly far enough to form a th umb-piece or handle adapted to be grasped to enable the lever to be turned in either direction to release or engage the suspender- Y strip. The rigid extension of the lever is liable to be caught in the clothing of the wearer and to become accidentally displaced, thus disengaging the lever from the strip and releasing the latter. My invention has for its'object to obvia-te this diiiculty; and to this end it consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the, accompanying drawings', forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a front view of alever-buckle embodying my invention and a portion of the strip to which it belongs. Fig. 2 represents a section on line 2 2 of Fig. l. Figs. 3 and 4 represent views of details of the construction shown in Figs. l and 2. Fig. 5 represents a view showing a di`erent form of lever embodying` my invention. Fig. 6 represents a section on line 6 6 of Fig. 5;

The same letters of reference indicate the saine parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, d represents the backplate of a lever-buckle, the same having ears o. a projecting across the edges of the suspender-strip b, which passes over the front side of the plate a.

c represents the lever, which consists of aV piece of sheet metal of sucient length to ex tend between the ears o. a, its upper portion being bent inwardly to forni a jaw c', which is serrated to engage the outer surface of the stri p b. The ends of the jaws c are provided with ears or trunnions c2 c2, which enter ori- I'ices in the ears a', so that the lever and jaw can swing to cause the jaw to grasp or release the strip b in the usual manner.

In carrying out my invention instead of providing the lever c with a rigid thumbpiece or handle I connect with said lever a depending iiexible loop d, which projects downwardly from the lever and is adapted to yield or bend outwardly, so that it will not be liable to be caught and accidentally pulled outwardly by the vest or other outer garment of the wearer. In the construction shown in Figs. l, 2, 3, and 4 the loop d is a rounded strip of flexible leather attached at its ends to sockets d d', attached to the end portions of the lever c. In Figs. 5 and 6 the loop d is a chain, which, as here shown, is composed of a series of hollow balls loosely connected by rivets, the construction being similar to that of certain watch-chains in common use. The hollow balls at the ends of the loop are connected in the same way with hollow sockets c3 c3, formed on the end portions of the lever c. The liexible loop enables the lever to be manipulated conveniently in fastening and releasing the strip and prevents the accidental displacement of the lever, a liability of which exists when the handle portion of the lever is rigid.

I claims A suspender-buckle comprising a backplate ct having ears CL', a', the lever c extending across the back-plate and pivoted to the ears thereof and having the serrated jaw c and having also a short socket at each end,and a flexible loop having its ends secured in said sockets and depending below said lever. Y

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this lst day of June, A. D. 1897.

WILLIAM II. JoI-INsoN.

IVitnesses:

CHARLES W. WOLEE, CHARLES F. EDcARroN. 

